If Hillary wins, Bill Clinton technically becomes the ‘First Lady’ because there’s never been a male spouse of a US president before (Picture: Getty Images)
It’s been a nail-biting election which finally comes to an end tomorrow.
And though there’s still a few more hours of campaigning left, current polls are showing Hillary Clinton with a four-point lead.
If she wins though, there’ll be an immediate dilemma to solve.
What will Bill Clinton be known as?
Hillary’s preferred title for Bill Clinton is reportedly First Gentleman
There have only ever been male presidents in the United States with female spouses – so technically, Bill Clinton would be the ‘First Lady’.
He’s joked about being called the ‘First Man’ or even ‘First Dude’ but as he’s a former president himself, it may not be that simple.
It’s common to use the honorific ‘President’ title for anyone who has been in the post, even after they leave.
But it’s tricky because Bill Clinton shares the same surname as his wife.
In the past, presidents with the same last name have usually been referred to by a nickname or by their full name.
But because Clinton is a former president as well, he will need a new name.
Hillary Clinton has previously spoken about this obvious dilemma, saying: ‘It’s a little bit more complicated with him because people still call former presidents Mr President. So I have to really work on this.’
The current options include First Gentleman, President Bill Clinton, Former President Clinton and The President’s Husband.
But it seems Hillary’s favourite at the moment is ‘First Gentleman’.
Previous presidents who’ve had the same surname include John Adams (the second US president) and his son John Quincy Adams (the 6th).
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd) also had the same surname as his cousin Theodore Roosevelt (26th) while George H.W. Bush (41st) and his son George W. Bush (43rd) had almost identical names.
